Road
I live an exciting life.
It is true that there are two seasons in this climate – winter and road construction. Last week, I had surgery in my mouth. I have about five ways to get from my house to the Valley, where my endodontist is. I had to change my route several times just to get there. And just try doing that when everybody is doing that. Yep. Bottleneck. I had to call to let them know I was on the way, but not going anywhere fast. Hold my chair!
Coming back, I went a different route. Guess what?
The next day I had to go out there again for a post op appointment. I headed out. Usually I avoid the freeway. But I thought that might be my best bet. At the last minute I changed that route and tried another way. Good thing. An accident on the freeway had stopped traffic altogether.
Oh good grief!!
I couldn’t wait to get home and park it! I was done!
Fire
My home office is on my second floor. I hear sirens going up and down the road all day most every day. Along with the 1500 million cars that whiz by.
On Friday, while I was working on my latest Wild Rose Ridge story, I heard a fire truck siren come screaming up the road. I pray for those they are going to help. (Side note, I think it will be pretty special to see how prayers followed fire trucks and first responders all along their routes on every call when we get to heaven).
The siren slowed and stopped. Too soon. Like under my window.
I jumped up to see billows of smoke rising directly across the street.
No! That’s too close!
It was a two-alarm fire with lots of smaller emergency vehicles lining the street, hoses going everywhere.
My neighbors were exiting the neighborhood in a parade right along with the TDS trucks that had been working in the neighborhood for the last month.
I packed. Scrambled to find cats from hiding places and off we went.
Once we left, we were blocked out. I am grateful our fire only lasted several hours instead of days. I didn’t have to go to a shelter. I came home. My cats were much happier when we got home, too. I didn’t have to listen to their complaints anymore, either.
Thinking
It ran across my mind while wandering in my car Friday afternoon that we really don’t know what we will do until we are faced with a situation.
Traffic is frustrating. We can wait patiently (take stuff to do when going somewhere) or we can yell, scream, curse, shake fists or whatever form of road rage we prefer. It doesn’t help.
In the case of the fire, one must think ahead. Once you rush around and grab those valuables on your list (you DO have one, right?), and are out there driving to somewhere, or nowhere, you begin to think about what you would do if there is no home to go back to.
That happens to plenty of folks. We’ve seen it around here a lot in the last few years.
Home
At times like these, there really is no place to go unless you have faith in the One Who has provided all things.
My home was not really in danger, even though the fire was just across the street. The firefighters were there. But what if it had been? What if the fire couldn’t have been contained?
Letting go is always hard.
But the one thing that is always true is that we are never abandoned, forsaken, left to fend alone. This life and everything in it is temporary. I’ve certainly been faced with that in this last year. Nothing here will ever be enough. And there will always be something better.
Trust doesn’t come easily to us. Especially when the bad stuff happens. But the long-range view is that we are promised eternity in Jesus if we only believe Him.
What He said.
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